One Day to Save the World
by StevenTLawson
Summary: Because Akira Toriyama introduced some new rules that put old stuff into question. I in turn came up with something that could have also happened. What if Goku got his one day in the future saga like he did in the buu saga. How would things have changed.


Because my brain meat does things.

* * *

Gohan sucked in a deep breath, he was nearing eighteen years old, gosh has he hated being at this age, constant reminders of the two psychotic androids who've been devastating the planet. "I'm just not strong enough, so many of my friends have died, even people I grew to respect like Vegeta, there's barely any humans left after they've destroyed most of the heavily populated areas," he seethed as he pushed his body harder and harder, but he never felt like it was enough. Never enough to stop the two twin terrors.

"Aww don't feel too bad Gohan," Goku said as he rested his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Dad?!" Gohan exclaimed. "Wait, how, but you died and the dragon balls," Gohan sputtered.

"Psshaw," Goku scoffed, stretching his arms behind his head. "King Yemma said since I'd been dead for seven years, Baba can get me one day on earth, see," he pointed up at the golden halo above his head.

"This, why, how," Gohan struggled to cope with this information.

"Well he said since I did such a good job saving innocent planets from Frieza and stopping him from becoming immortal, which would have been a huge problem, he's letting me sneak out to help you," Goku smiled in the way only he could, melting any worries Gohan had. "Now, I've been training in otherworld almost nonstop once I found out about these androids Dr. Gero made. So let's see if it amounted to anything."

"Right," Gohan nodded. His confidence at the highest it had ever been. Firming up his features he flew off the ground followed closely by his father. "I can't sense where they are, so we'll have to search where they'd been."

"Nah, I mean," Goku chuckled. "I was going to do that, but then Tien and Piccolo and the others said that'd be a huge waste of what time I had, so they had King Kai search the planet before I got here. So I know where they are, come on and try to keep up," Goku laughed as he rocketed past his son.

For the first time in years, Gohan had fun, genuine fun and all because his father was there. When they landed in front of two teens who had just finished blowing up a building. Goku called out. "Hey, are you two the androids?"

"What's it to you," Seventeen turned. "Hey, it's pint size," he pointed at Gohan. "And who's this, another friend for us to kill?"

"Nope, can't kill me," Goku stuck out his tongue, pointing up. "See, I'm already dead."

"What the? Is that, real?" Eighteen asked.

"Eyup, I'm Son Goku and I've come back from Otherworld to help my son stop you," Goku said before turning Super Saiyan, Gohan not far behind.

"Seen the blonde, not impressed," Seventeen dismissed the two fighters.

"Aww jealous bro," Eighteen teased. "Feel left out?"

"Hey they had black hair like me a second ago," Seventeen defended himself verbally, before he was punched through a wall by Goku.

"I'll take the one on the left, you get the one on the right," Goku said as he shot after Seventeen.

"Really, going to split us up," Eighteen flipped her hair. "Fine, just don't come crying to daddy when I beat you to a pulp," she threatened before lunging at Gohan.

Despite Eighteen pushing Gohan to his limits, he never lost hope knowing that his father was just on the otherside of the rubble battling with him. "Not going to happen," Gohan headbutted the android. "Do you know why?"

"Let me guess some stupid spiel about friendship or something," Eighteen guessed.

"No, because now, I have something to believe in, my father," Gohan smirked as he started pressing the attack. "He never gives up and he never gave up, even after he died, he got stronger and came back to help me," Gohan started his speech. "I don't have to worry because I know in my heart that everything good will triumph, just like it always has, so long as you have something or someone to believe in."

Eighteen's stance faltered as Gohan increased the strength of his blows and the speed of his attacks. "Tch, Seventeen I need help over here, finish up with the ghost and.." her words died on her tongue as she saw Goku holding Seventeen's scarf. "How, impossible," she lamented the destruction of her brother.

"Easy, I found a form beyond that of a normal super Saiyan, it's hard to control but, it's so insanely powerful," Goku explained as the massive slabs of concrete began to float off the ground. Lightning began to spark across his body as he approached the android. "At first I thought it required anger, because I unleashed it only after watching my son struggle to protect this world from evil." Goku's aura flared and most of the smaller debris exploded into dust. "But I was wrong.

"Do you want to know the true power of an ascended Saiyan," he asked. Goku didn't care that the android was too terrified to respond, he answered the question anyway. "It was love, I was so angry because I loved my son, I loved my friends and I loved my planet. That love was what I needed to get stronger," Goku stopped a hairsbreadth away from the woman. "Now, I have to ask you, can you love this planet like I did, protect it's people. Or will you be like your brother and only want to kill, it's your choice."

Goku powered down and walked over to his huffing son, "Come on, we'll give her some time to think. I have almost a full day and I want to see your mother and then help you get stronger, King Kai got word that the Supreme Kai has his eye on this planet and that makes me think something bad might happen, so I want you prepared for that."

Gohan slowly nodded as he took off with his father and true to his word for the rest of the day he hug out with his family and even learned to harness his power to an ascended state, knowing that it was even possible to go beyond a Super Saiyan was immensely helpful in achieving this new form, because it didn't rely on just being stronger, one had to actually stop holding back. No more letting fear, anxiety or anger cripple them, and as Goku said, love was the key. Knowing that you had that love for what you were protecting made going beyond easier. He hadn't mastered it, but Gohan was certain that if Eighteen rejected Goku's offer that he could easily destroy her.

At the end of the day, Goku promised to keep in touch at times by using King Kai to talk to them, because it's something the old god was willing to let Goku do, but not too frequently though. But for Gohan the chance to keep in touch with his father was more than he had dreamed of.

* * *

And so a week later Gohan found Eighteen sitting on a skyscraper. "So," Gohan said as he floated down. "What will it be? Peace or death," he said.

"I don't want to die," Eighteen admitted. "So I guess I have to choose peace."

"That's good," Gohan sighed. "I don't really like killing," he admitted as he sat next to her. "I've only had to do it when I was forced into it and I hate it," he said as he looked up.

"So that was really your dead dad," Eighteen asked.

"Uhuh, yeah, would you believe me if I said that's not even the first time he died," Gohan asked as he tilted his head to look at her.

"Now I know you're bullshitting me, he's died multiple times. What's next you're going to tell me you're an alien," Eighteen laughed.

"Good guess, but I'm only half alien," Gohan answered as he pushed off and started to drift away.

"Nice one, wait," Eighteen paused. "Are you serious, come back here," she flew after him. "Tell me, are you actually an alien?"

And that was how Goku helped his some save the world from destruction.


End file.
